The U-S Supreme Court begins deliberations on the nation's health care overhaul law next week. At issue is the act's highest profile piece -- the requirement that all Americans buy health insurance, or face a penalty. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports.
The big-picture goals of the law were to provide health insurance to more people for less money. To make that work, legislators and President Barack Obama agreed to require people to buy insurance beginning in 2014. That mandate is being challenged by opponents who say it's unconstitutional.
But in a conference call, Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy says the mandate is essential.
"A lot, but not all, of the health care bill falls apart without the individual mandate."
Murphy says that's because the mandate makes people who might not otherwise enroll -- the healthy -- buy-in and spread out the insurance industry's risk. But if you lose the mandate, you lose the healthy people -- leaving only those who need health insurance to buy it. And non-partisan actuaries have told the court that that would throw the numbers off, mean higher prices, and fewer people insured.
Murphy agrees.
"If the mandate is stripped from the bill, there will be inevitably less people covered for higher cost."
The court begins its hearings Monday.
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.
This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes WNPR, NPR, and Kaiser Health News.
